More from NBC

Friendly Fire Hits U.S. Troops in Afghanistan

In what was the most deadly case of friendly fire for American forces in nearly 13 years of the Afghanistan war, five Americans were killed.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

BRIAN?
>> MIGUEL ALMAGUER ON THIS LATEST TRAGEDY UNFOLDING IN OREGON, MIGUEL, THANKS.
>>> TONIGHT AN INVESTIGATION IS UNDER WAY IN AFGHANISTAN AFTER FIVE AMERICANS WERE KILLED BY FRIENDLY FIRE. A STRIKE FROM ONE OF OUR OWN B-1 BOMBERS ABOVE. JIM MIKLASZEWSKI IS AT THE PENTAGON WITH WHAT THEY'RE TELLING US THERE. JIM, GOOD EVENING.
>> Reporter: GOOD EVENING, BRIAN. FOR U.S. MILITARY FORCES, THIS IS THE DEADLIEST INCIDENT OF FRIENDLY FIRE IN NEARLY 13 YEARS OF THE AFGHANISTAN WAR. IT'S ONE OF THE MOST HEART-WRENCHING MOMENTS FOR ANY MiG TEAR FAMILY, A CASUALTY OFFICER ARRIVING TODAY TO OFFICIALLY TELL THEM THEIR LOVED ONE HAS DIED IN THE WAR. THE FAMILY WELCOMED REPORTERS AFTER THEY LEARNED THAT THEIR SON, THEIR BROTHER, 19-YEAR-OLD ARMY PRIVATE FIRST CLASS AARON TAPPIN OF ILLINOIS WAS ONE OF THOSE KILLED BY FRIENDLY FIRE IN AFGHANISTAN. U.S. DEFENSE OFFICIALS REPORT THE FIVE AMERICANS, THREE SPECIAL FORCES GREEN BERETS, AND TWO OTHER U.S. SOLDIERS, WERE KILLED WHILE ON A JOINT MISSION WITH AFGHAN FORCES IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN. THEY WERE CHECKING VILLAGE SECURITY IN ADVANCE OF THIS WEEKEND'S PRESIDENTIAL RUNOFF ELECTIONS WHEN, WITHOUT WARNING, THEY WERE AMBUSHED BY TALIBAN FORCES. AN ATTACK SO FIERCE, THE AMERICANS DESPERATELY RADIOED FOR COMBAT AIR COVER. AN AMERICAN B-1 BOMBER QUICKLY RESPONDED AND UNLEASHED AT LEAST ONE PRECISION-GUIDED BOMB, BUT INSTEAD OF THE ENEMY, IT STRUCK THE FRIENDLY FORCES, KILLING THE FIVE AMERICANS AND ONE AFGHAN SOLDIER.
>> WE DO HAVE REASON TO SUSPECT THAT FRIENDLY FIRE WAS THE CAUSE HERE, SPECIFICALLY FRIENDLY FIRE FROM THE AIR, BUT THE ISSUE IS UNDER INVESTIGATION.
>> Reporter: THERE HAVE BEEN 23 FRIENDLY FIRE INCIDENTS DURING THE ENTIRE AFGHANISTAN WAR, RESULTING IN THE DEATHS OF 40 U.S. COALITION AND AFGHAN FORCES. BESIDES THE FIVE KILLED THIS WEEK, PAT TILLMAN, THE NFL STAR WHO ENLISTED AND JOINED THE RANKS OF THE ELITE ARM RANGERS, WAS THE ONLY OTHER AMERICAN KILLED BY FRIENDLY FIRE IN AFGHANISTAN. THE TALIBAN AMBUSH CAME AS AMERICA'S LONGEST WAR IS WINDING DOWN, AND MOST AMERICAN TROOPS ARE PREPARING TO WITHDRAW BY THE END OF THIS YEAR. THERE'S GROWING CONCERN THAT TALIBAN MAY TRY TO STEP IN AND RE-CLAIM THEIR POWER. OFFICIALS HERE AT THE PENTAGON TELL US IT'S JUST WAY TOO EARLY IS TO TELL WHAT WENT WRONG IN THIS FATAL BOMBING. WAS IT HUMAN OR MECHANICAL ERROR?